<p>It was debated this past fall in this forum if Pitt truly mixed ACT and SAT scores to come up with your “best” composite score (for instance, use ACT math and SAT Critical Reading). I now definitively know the answer. As many posted, yes, they do mix ACT and SAT scores to come up with a new composite score. I noticed it on my daughter’s advising sheet which listed her scores and took the top from each. Hope this helps prospective applicants when trying to decide which tests to take and which scores to send.</p>
<p>I agree completely! The very same thing happened to me.</p>
<p>It was stated very clearly in the information session we attended last summer that Pitt uses the best subscore from each of ACT/SAT on a mix and match basis. I’m not sure why people think its unclear.</p>
<p>The signficance of the scores on the advising sheet concerns math and english placement.</p>
<p>Students who score below 500 SAT/ 21 ACT on the critical reading/English portion are placed in a different composition course than the rest of the freshman.</p>
<p>Students who score below 600 SAT/ 26 ACT on the math portion are exempt from taking the Algebra placement exam. If you don’t pass the Algebra placement exam, you are required to take Algebra as a freshman.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.pittstart.pitt.edu/freshmen_exam_as.aspx[/url]”>http://www.pittstart.pitt.edu/freshmen_exam_as.aspx</a></p>
<p>The only exception is the Engineering students: they have to take the math placement exams (I don’t believe this has changed).</p>
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<p>Correct. Trigonometry and Algebra I do believe (I don’t know why they make you take these exams, especially if you did well on the tests…). I think if you do poorly on the English SAT/ACT you can ask to take the placement or you sign up for the remedial English class.</p>
<p>The Alegbra and Trig tests are only used to determine whether the engineering students will be in Precalc or some level of Calculus. I think that the majority of the students place into Calc, but at our advising meeting they said that a number of students are required to take Precalc each year to make sure that their math skills will be strong enough.</p>
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<p>Well…yes and no. I had a 5 on AP Calc BC and still had to take the tests (even though I automatically signed up for Calc 3 anyway), which tested my knowledge of…sine functions? Really? I mean, I passed, but I also had to re-teach myself some (unneccessary) trig funtions in order to pass. I think if your SAT scores are lower they use this as an indicator, but otherwise I still don’t understand why many of us had to take it, haha.</p>
<p>AwesomeOpossum, I know everyone had to take the tests (I also got a 5 on Calc BC) but I was trying to say that the advisors seemed to imply that they mainly use them to double check that people are ready for calculus. If that makes any sense.
I still think the placement tests are redundant if a student has good scores on AP Calc.</p>
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<p>Ohh. Perhaps. I’m not actually sure what happens to people who do poorly on the placement test if it’s combined with a good Calc score or something…I can’t actually remember my Pitt Start advisor actually CARING what my placement was. I just told him “Put me in Calc 3” and he did.</p>
<p>So does this mean that their statistics on their average ACT range are only based on the composite scores taken from students’ English and Math scores? For example, I got English 26 and math 21. Composite superscore would be 24. Does Pitt use the superscore composite in their average composite stats or do they still use the composite score from all 4 sections?</p>
<p>Also, do they convert the ACT score to an SAT score and take that into consideration?</p>
<p>They do convert the ACT score to a comparative SAT score.</p>
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<p>They convert the superscore or the other composite score?</p>
<p>It was the score you received from all four sections. I think it was scaled: ACT 36 = 1600 SAT, ACT 35 = 1550 SAT, ACT 34 = 1500 SAT, ACT 33 = 1450 SAT etc. </p>
<p>They used this scale when DS was a freshman, I believe it is still being used now (please correct me if I am wrong).</p>